A new sports centre is being built, and soon a number of municipal properties in Cabanyal will be on sale, which shows that the City Council is finally getting serious about completely transforming this barrio…
Cabanyal, one of Valencia’s most authentic barrios, had been neglected for a long time. But, thanks to the City Council’s renewed interest and wisely invested European funds, this is changing. And, according to officials, the real transformation is still ahead of us.
This week, the Ayuntamiento de Valencia announced that the tender for the works on the Maritimo Sports Centre had been awarded. The budget of almost €1m was financed 50% by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) and it will be a unique feature for Cabanyal. Spread across 6,120 square metres it will take about five months to be finished. According to Sandra Gómez, a councillor for Urban Development, “this space will be one of the most advanced and specially designed for new forms of physical activity for younger people whose rigorous demands of new outdoor sports activities go beyond soccer and basketball fields.”
The new facility will include a climbing wall, a weight training and callisthenics area, and areas for skateboarding, BMX and roller-skating. However, because it is aimed at all segments of the population, both young and old, it will also include stretching and joint mobility areas for the elderly, as well as chess tables and pétanque fields.
The sports centre will be built between Calle Pescadors on the north side and Calle Portuaries on the south side, and when completed, it will completely transform the look of this part of the city, along with the Dr Lluich sports centre and the current headquarters of the Valencian Tennis Federation.
Isabel Lozano, Valencia City Councilor for Heritage, also paid a visit to Cabanyal last week with the clear intention of deciding what to do with the municipal real estate. The City Council owns approximately 116 homes spread across 83 lots and 62 buildings. The majority of these properties are in poor condition, and many are beyond repair. This issue has been ongoing for quite some time, but it appears that it will be resolved soon.
Valencia City Council has been drawing up a complete inventory of all its properties in the Cabanyal neighbourhood, and the Heritage service has been dedicated in recent months to completing this task, with a dossier listing every single property. Although many of the properties have been assigned to specific projects (school, civic centre, popular university), there are still quite a few whose fate has not yet been decided.
Now that the data has been gathered, a decision will be made, says Lozano. Some of the houses will be refurbished, while others will be offered for purchase. The same applies to plots; some will be developed, while others will be sold. What seems clear is that the City Council is now ready to act, which can only be a good thing for Cabanyal.
When that happens – and it appears it will happen very soon indeed – Cabanyal is set to become one of Valencia’s most appealing areas for both residents and investors.
© Coming Soon – Municipal Properties In Cabanyal To Go On Sale – TheValencian
More Property News